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It is thought that the name Hebburn may be derived from the Old English terms, heah meaning "high", and byrgen meaning a "burial mound", though it could also mean the high place beside the water. The first record of Hebburn mentions a settlement of fishermen's huts in the 8th century, which were burned by the Vikings.

Local legend claims that, until recently, a preserved longship lay embedded on the south bank of the Tyne at Hebburn. The object, visible at low tide, was however the remains of an old wooden "coal lighter".[citation needed] A genuine longship would likely have been salvaged by a historical society, or have had a protection order placed upon it.

In the 14th century the landscape was dominated by a peel tower. A 4'6" (140 cm) tall wall, a portion of which still remains at St. John's Church, could also be seen. The Lordship of the Manor of Hebburn passed through the hands of a number of families during the Middle Ages, including the Hodgsons of Hebburn (James 1974, Hodgson).

Coal was mined at Hebburn as early as the 17th century. Hebburn Colliery opened in 1792 and eventually operated 3 pits. It closed in 1932. 200 miners were killed during the life of the colliery. The youngest were 10 years old.[2]

Hebburn also has a proud shipbuilding history with many Royal Navy battle ships being built at A. Leslie and Company. The most famous ship built at the ship yard was HMS Kelly, launched in 1938 and commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten. One hundred and thirty men were killed when it was sunk and they are remembered in memorials at Hebburn Cemetery, which were erected by surviving members of the crew and workers from Hawthorn Leslie.

The former British Short-Circuit Testing Station in Victoria Road West within the town, owned by A. Reyrolle & Company provided the back drop for the Gary Numan video "Metal"

Hebburn Town F.C. which formed in 1912[3] and Hebburn Reyrolle F.C. are the town's local non-league football teams. Hebburn Argyle, which existed in the early 1900s, is now defunct.

In 2012, BBC commissioned a brand new television series Hebburn set in the town. It was created and co-written by Jason Cook, who was raised in the town.[5] The first episode was broadcast on 18 October 2012.[6][7]